I'll Give You the Sun

I’ve spent the past few days trying to come up with the perfect analogy for this book. So far all I’ve got is it’s The Sky Is Everywhere (see full review) meets Graffiti Moon (see more posts) meets Jellicoe Road (see full review) on crack. Or something like that. Or, put more simply, it’s magnificent.

This is the story of twins: Jude and Noah. Noah gives us his side of the story starting at age 13. Jude picks up her side of the story three years later, a very different person from the one Noah introduced us to. Somewhere in between the twins have gone from being each other’s safe place to virtual strangers who share a wall. As each twin tells their side of the story in alternating chapters, a larger picture unfolds where show more we’re taken on a trip through time, through art, through gorgeous language, family drama, romance, and heartbreak. To tell you much more than that about what happens would really just be stepping on Jude and Noah’s toes. This is their story.

Full disclosure: I’ve been waiting years for Jandy Nelson to follow up The Sky Is Everywhere, and when that day finally came I was more than a little worried that there was no way my high expectations could be met. In the end, though, this sophomore effort left my expectations in the dust, surpassing them several times over. It’s dazzling, crackling with emotion and intelligence, the sort of book you have to text a friend about as you read, because such deliciousness is really meant to be shared. So make sure to pass it on when you’re done. :-)

Reviewed for http://tatalonline.blogspot.com/2014/10/ill-give-you-sun-by-jandy-nelson.html. show less

At the age of 13, twins Jude and Noah are almost inseparable; Noah is quiet and isolated, always sketching and following around the neighbor boy, where Jude is daredevil enough for the both of them. Flash forward 3 years, and their relationship has completely disintegrated. As Noah tells the story of the past, and Jude tells the story of the future, the twins learn that the only way they'll be able to move forward is by reconciling their relationship.

The major aspect I think this book gets props for is its use of the multi-narrator. This narrative device has become all the rage in the YA world; looking through this section in any bookstore, a good majority of the books that you pick up are going to have at least 2, if not more, show more narrators. If done well, this isn't a bad thing, as it allows authors to bring more voices into their stories, maybe include more diversity, etc. This book stands out from those because the two narrators are also from two different points in the narrators' lives: when they are 13 and when they are 16. This device pulls the reader in right from the beginning, sparking curiosity and moving the plot forward at a nice pace.

This wasn't the only strength of this book: there were some really beautiful lines, and the characterization was phenomenal. As you get more and more into Noah and Jude's heads, you keep moving forward because you just want them to get back to where they used to be, to mend their relationship. Their pain, their struggles felt so real, and I think they're relatable, no matter who picks up this book.

I think the only major critique I have is that some of the supernatural stuff threw me off slightly at the beginning, but it didn't take long for me to adjust to it in the narrative. Otherwise, this is phenomenal read, and a story that will linger in your mind once it's over. show less

This novel is the story of a family tragedy and its aftermath, narrated in alternating chapters by twins Noah and Jude. Noah's narrative begins when the twins are 13. He's the quiet one who dodges school bullies and spends all his time painting; Jude's the outgoing one who is popular and daring. Despite their very different personalities, Noah and Jude are incredibly close. But Jude's story, which takes place three years later, reveals that something terrible has happened, and she and Noah are no longer speaking. Noah is living in denial, trying to act like a "normal" teenager, and Jude is trying as hard as possible to be invisible. As the novel alternates between Noah's story and Jude's, the nature of their tragedy is revealed, and it show more becomes obvious that each twin only has half the story. In order to move past their family's secrets, both twins will have to forgive themselves as well as each other. Meanwhile, Noah falls in love with the boy next door and must come to terms with his sexuality, while Jude searches for redemption through art.

You may not be able to tell from my woefully inadequate summary, but I loved, loved, LOVED this book! And I honestly wasn't expecting to…YA contemporary is a genre that varies widely in quality, and I hadn't heard much about this author, so I was quite wary going in. But I was almost immediately captivated by the energetic, vivid writing style and unexpected imagery. I usually think that the best writing style is the least obtrusive, but this book made me sit up and take notice, in a good way! I also felt deep sympathy for both Noah and Jude, who are each trying to figure out who they are, while being burdened with a huge weight of guilt. Despite their overly precocious voices, they felt like real human beings to me. I loved the book's focus on visual art and was fascinated by Jude's quest to make a sculpture out of stone, something that is apparently a dying art nowadays. There's even a touch of magical realism, as Jude often talks to her Grandma Sweetwine's ghost. In short, if the premise of this book seems at all appealing to you, I HIGHLY recommend it! show less

Oh man, this book was AMAZING! And such a heartbreaker! Told in alternating points of view between twins Jude (female) and Noah, and also in dual timelines, we see this troubled, loving, tortured relationship from all its angles and facets. Jude and Noah have gone through a terrible loss and are completely different people from one timeline to the next. The juxtaposition is fascinating. At times you want to cry for them both, and gape in horror at what you witness them doing. I will confess that while I pitied and understood both twins’ motivations, I found Noah the more sympathetic of the two. There were times I just saw Jude and, gah, it was harder to forgive some of her past actions, even if I understood them to be those of a sad, show more lonely girl. So beautifully rendered.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

Noah and Jude are twins and despite their differences, they're extremely close. That doesn't mean there aren't hardships though; Noah is an amazing artist and it's obvious their mother prefers his work over Jude's. It leaves Jude struggling to keep at least a part of her mother while Noah feels like their father is all Jude's.

Often stuck in his own world, Noah's only friends except his sister are his mum and his art. But when a boy moves into a house further down the street, something other than art finally makes Noah feel alive. It doesn't last long, however, and it's soon followed by a tragedy that changes their lives forever.

A few years later, the twins have changed places. The ever so social and confident Jude is the odd, quiet show more girl while Noah has become a popular sophomore who hasn't as much as held a brush in years. The distance between them feels as big as a continent but it soon turns out that what first drove them apart is the very same thing that will put them back together again.

Christ. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say. Ever since I found this book, I've been wanting to read it but it took a confirmation about lgbt themes to get myself off my ass and buy it; and boy, that was such a good decision. It's one of those books I just know I'll remember for a very long time. But honestly, specifically Noah and his relationship with Brian. I recognised so much of Noah in a very raw and deep way that made me a bit overwhelmed at times. I'm not sure if I've ever identified with a character as much as I did with Noah. The scenes with him and Brian were some of the most amazing pieces of writing I've read, and I truly enjoyed their times together.

Jude was a really interesting character and I truly enjoyed reading her development from start to finish. She felt so realistic and raw and her narrative was a pure joy to read; even when she pissed me off. Her time at Guillermo's studio was nearly as amazing as the scenes between Brian and Noah and I might've fallen in love with Guillermo just a tiny bit. He was such a contrast between bitter sorrow and joyful love. Like, wow. Every time Jude, Guillermo and Oscar hung out together, I truly felt alive. Especially when they were eating donuts.

In conclusion, Noah will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. I hope so. He is truly beautiful, and I'm glad I got the chance to read part of his story. show less

This outstanding book just blew me away. It’s about a set of fraternal twins, a boy Noah and a girl Jude, who take turns narrating the story. And it’s about the power of art to inform perspective, not just in a medium, but as a medium, as a way of interpreting the world. And in fact, Noah and Jude’s parents grow apart as their epistemology diverges: their dad, a doctor, is wedded to the empirical while their mom embraces the spiritual, and all its messy glorious manifestation in color and form.

Jude and Noah have always been so close that they feel like they are only half-people when apart; together, they make up one complete and whole person. But at age thirteen, as the two prepare to apply for a special school for the arts, show more there are radical changes in their lives, and by the time they are sixteen, they barely speak to one another. Noah’s chapters are from the time they are thirteen, and Jude’s from when they are sixteen. But they carry the action forward linearly, nevertheless. And as the story progresses, all the secrets about the lives of the characters gradually come to light.

Discussion: There are a number of love stories that go on simultaneously in this book, focused on several different kinds of love. They are all brimming with intense emotion and hope and hurt and surprise, and range from the split-apart whole of the twins to the idea of soulmates who are split apart by the gods, and spend their lives looking for each other. Only the luckiest humans succeed in finding them.

There are also interconnected themes about being true to one’s soul; the wisdom or folly of showing that inner spirit to someone else; and the way a portrait artist can reveal someone’s inner self by studying someone enough to see it. It is only then that the face comes alive, and no matter how simple or few the lines, no matter how “realistic” or “impressionistic,” people can recognize the essence of the person in the picture.

Noah, who has a wonderful self-deprecating sense of humor, describes many of his experiences by what a portrait of someone would look like at any particular moment: “Self-Portrait: The Boy Hiding Inside the Boy Hiding Inside the Boy”; “Portrait: Mom and Dad with Screeching Tea Kettles for Heads”; “Portrait: Jude Braiding Boy After Boy into Her Hair”.”

Jude, on the other hand, exposes her innermost thoughts by conversations with her dead grandmother, and by spouting quotations from the sayings her grandmother collected in her bible. Jude is also very funny in a different way than Noah, using superstition to try to control reality, because a more reason-based approach hasn’t been working out so well.

Evaluation: I could go on and on about the many wonderful aspects of this book, but I would hate to give it all away. Though the subjects covered in this book are heavy ones: death, grief, betrayal, homosexuality, jealousy, and fractured family dynamics - at the same time, this is a book of soaring positive emotions: passion, love, friendship, and forgiveness; all drawn (in a double sense) with talent, humor and compassion. I went through almost a whole packet of stickies marking passages I wanted to remember, including some that took my breathe away with their unexpectedness or cleverness or insight. Highly recommended! show less